Roll Call

June 19, 2005

Some of last week's key votes in the U.S. Congress:

Yes: Y, No: N, Not voting: X

HOUSE VOTES

LIBRARY, BOOKSTORE SEARCHES: Blocked, 238-187, funding to enforce a provision of the USA Patriot Act under which law enforcement and intelligence agents can use secret warrants to obtain circulation records and patron lists from libraries as well as customer lists and sales records from bookstores. The ban was added to a bill (HR 2862, now before the Senate) that would appropriate $57.5 billion for the departments of State, Commerce and Justice and other agencies in fiscal 2006. A yes vote opposed library and bookstore searches based on secret warrants.

L. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami N

M. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami N

Foley, R-Jupiter N

Hastings, D-Miramar Y

Meek, D-Miami Y

Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami N

Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale N

Wasserman-Schultz, D-FTL Y

Wexler, D-Boca Raton Y

TEN COMMANDMENTS DISPLAY: Passed, 242-182, a proposal that would bar the U.S. Marshals Service from enforcing a federal judge's order that a Ten Commandments display be removed from the Gibson County, Ind., courthouse lawn. The vote occurred during debate on HR 2862 (above). In January, the judge ruled the display "in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution." A yes vote was to bar funding to enforce the court ruling.

L. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami Y

M. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami Y

Foley, R-Jupiter Y

Hastings, D-Miramar N

Meek, D-Miami N

Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami Y

Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale Y

Wasserman-Schultz, D-FTL N

Wexler, D-Boca Raton N

GIFTS TO CUBANS: Refused, 216-210, to overturn Bush administration limits on Americans' gifts to family members in Cuba. The rules ban gifts such as clothing, soap, toothpaste and toilet paper; cap the number of parcels that a single family can send; and limit the weight of packages hand-carried to Cuba. The vote occurred during debate on HR 2862 (above). A yes vote was to overturn the gift rules.

L. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami N

M. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami N

Foley, R-Jupiter N

Hastings, D-Miramar N

Meek, D-Miami N

Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami N

Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale N

Wasserman-Schultz, D-FTL N

Wexler, D-Boca Raton N

SPACE VS. LAW ENFORCEMENT: Refused, 230-196, to shift $200 million from the budget for exploring Mars and the moon to law-enforcement grants for states and communities. This occurred during debate on HR 2862 (above). A yes vote was to spend less on space and more on law enforcement.

L. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami N

M. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami N

Foley, R-Jupiter N

Hastings, D-Miramar Y

Meek, D-Miami Y

Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami N

Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale N

Wasserman-Schultz, D-FTL Y

Wexler, D-Boca Raton Y

IRAQ PLANS: Blocked, 223-220, a Democratic amendment requiring President Bush to set forth within 30 days his criteria for determining whether to keep U.S. troops in Iraq. Democrats offered this procedural motion after the Republican leadership denied consideration of the amendment in next week's debate on fiscal 2006 defense appropriations (HR 2863). A yes vote was to block the Democratic amendment.

L. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami Y

M. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami Y

Foley, R-Jupiter Y

Hastings, D-Miramar N

Meek, D-Miami N

Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami Y

Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale Y

Wasserman-Schultz, D-FTL N

Wexler, D-Boca Raton N

UNITED NATIONS OVERHAUL: Passed, 221-184, a bill (HR 2745) that would require the United Nations to undertake 38 major reforms. If the U.N. failed to substantially comply, the United States would halve its dues payments to the world body. U.S. dues now cover more than one-fifth of the $1.83 billion core U.N. budget. The bill, which is opposed by the administration, awaits Senate action. A yes vote was to pass the bill.

L. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami Y

M. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami Y

Foley, R-Jupiter Y

Hastings, D-Miramar N

Meek, D-Miami N

Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami Y

Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale Y

Wasserman-Schultz, D-FTL N

Wexler, D-Boca Raton N

U.N. POPULATION FUND: Refused, 233-192, to resume U.S. aid to the United Nations Population Fund, which helps poor nations provide family planning services and broad-based medical care. The administration has been withholding $34 million annually in U.S. contributions, on grounds that the fund is complicit with population-control policies in China. The vote occurred during debate on HR 2862. A yes vote was to support the U.N. Population Fund.

L. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami N

M. Diaz-Balart, R-Miami N

Foley, R-Jupiter Y

Hastings, D-Miramar Y

Meek, D-Miami Y

Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami N

Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale N

Wasserman-Schultz, D-FTL Y

Wexler, D-Boca Raton Y

SENATE VOTES

ETHANOL MANDATE: Passed, 69-28, a proposal that would require 8 billion gallons of ethanol to be sold in the United States by 2012, double sales projected for 2006. Corn-based ethanol, when blended with gasoline, reduces U.S. reliance on imported oil but raises gasoline prices in some regions. This vote killed a bid to strip a pending energy bill (HR 6) of its ethanol mandate. A yes vote was to preserve the ethanol mandate.

Martinez, R-Florida Y Nelson, D-Florida Y

RENEWABLE ENERGY: Passed, 52-48, a proposal that would require increased production of renewable energy from sources such as the wind and sun. The amendment to a pending energy bill (HR 6) would require power companies to produce at least 10 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020, five times the present output. A yes vote backed the amendment.

Martinez, R-Florida N

Nelson, D-Florida Y

FOREIGN OIL: Defeated, 53-47, an amendment that would require a 40 percent cut by 2025 in U.S. imports of foreign oil. The amendment to HR 6 (above) did not specify technologies or policies for the reduction. At present, America imports about 58 percent of its oil, a figure projected to rise to 68 percent by 2025, according to debate. A yes vote backed the amendment.

Martinez, R-Florida N

Nelson, D-Florida Y

LOOKING AHEAD

The House takes up fiscal 2006 appropriations bills, while the Senate continues to debate an energy bill.